The Unfathomed: Our Calling

If we at UVA have all long-lived life for a singular grandiose purpose—the means to discover truth and meaning—then in a sense, we have been prepared, in a few ways, to saunter through life knowing more so than most who we are and what we aspire to do. The vast majority of humans know of words and how to use them, yet it is the calling of journalists to utilize them as such when few others can say the same. People every day speak and move with grace, yet actors stand alone in their spotlights. Most of us can perhaps throw and catch a ball or shoot a hoop, but we are no experts. And, indeed, most everyone engages with some variety of music on a highly regular basis, although this does not deter from the excellence of the Cavalier Marching Band. Life has made itself, to us, an expansive concept—so much so that the parts that comprise it are often astray in our minds. Moments are themes—life—but to truly be lively, one must embrace each day as having the capacity to be remarkable, examining both the concept of their self and the tangibility of their routine.

Certainly, particular days are noteworthy as we reminisce on the past instances of fully living in felicity, but most other days may remain in the clutches of mundanity, forever missing a different purpose that they may have served within themselves. It is likely not only just apparent to us that there is value in a day that can reside there free of analysis. However, for the sake of being so, the sun rising and falling again can be a symbolic reminder that life is worth inherent hardships, though solely accounting for the enjoyment of a short period, and in such an event, there is little need to overthink, little need to equate a delicious matcha latte to an indication of ample receptiveness to culture or to compare a spotlight to the blinding prospects of the coming years at UVA. With that claim having been transcribed, it must follow that it be clarified—it is our responsibility to tie those knots and to peer with such assiduity into the details of each and every aspect of everything, but so much that we are forever lost to this new realm. For instance, on the days that first-year students initially graced UVA grounds, there was much to see, much to learn, much to look forward to, and much value in the moment, but it was also representative of something far more consequential, which must have been on the minds of many awestruck faces, even in the moment. To a degree, the duality of a situation like this one is one to consider with the utmost regularity and preeminence, for it is the confluence of two vastly opposing manners of perceiving life—an easily functional overpass where neither influences the other when this averts a pronounced progression of oneself. In this way, it is paramount to allow the convergence of the value of a day and the larger themes it suggests.

Habitually, we have neglected momentary enjoyment in search of something to apply to ourselves in the future or to circumstances of the past. Days are effortlessly trivialized, but we must be cognizant of this, for facilitating this mental process contradicts the act of extracting meaning in the first place. What good does being overly informed on conceptuality or practicality do in the other’s absence, such that the two never come to fruition in tandem, lessons never being learned or forever staying latent? After all, college is a place of learning a great many things, including how to be and how to live life as a learner, considering issues with skill and understanding perspective.

On the lawn, the corner, the classroom, the lab, we texturize the world through our lens, and though it may or may not be in focus all the time, it is equally probable that the finer details of things are overlooked. Much course work implores us as students at UVA to engage with and scrutinize all that we think we know as fact, in search of a more substantial truth. Speaking on matters of truth, our place here and now, here or there, here and beyond, is based on the reality of us as individuals. To know oneself is to trust that moments are real and reflection is valuable, always.

College years are fleeting. Time is a construct that is strenuously comprehended, but it is abundantly evident that it never halts. We are discovering ourselves to a greater extent—our passions, our joys, our ambitions, our futures—and this lends itself to the expansive splendor of being in college, of being at UVA, of being alive. We have a surplus of potential, and perhaps we have no idea where to direct it. What a dilemma to face. Hence, a focus on today may lend itself to an epiphany tomorrow—a practical concept.